Process control systems, like those used in chemical, petroleum or other batch, continuous and/or hybrid processes, typically include one or more process controllers and input/output (I/O) devices communicatively coupled to at least one host or operator workstation and to one or more field devices via analog, digital or combined analog/digital busses. The field devices, which may be, for example, valves, valve positioners, switches and transmitters (e.g., temperature, pressure and flow rate sensors), perform functions within a process such as opening or closing valves and measuring process parameters. The process controllers receive signals indicative of process measurements made by the field devices and/or other information pertaining to the field devices, use this information to implement a control routine, and then generate control signals that are sent over the busses or other communication lines to the field devices to control the operation of the process. In this manner, the process controllers may execute and coordinate control strategies using the field devices via the busses and/or other communication links communicatively coupling the field devices.
Some process control systems require data from sources external to an enterprise of which the process control system is a part. Typically, but not necessarily, an external data source may be outside of a firewall of the process control system. For example, a specific process control system may need to obtain a current market value of a commodity from a stock market database, or the specific process control system may need to access external data from an OPC server for a particular device. Traditionally, configuring and integrating third-party or external data sources into a process control system is a separate, stand-alone exercise from configuring the process control system itself. Each workstation or controller requiring external or third-party data may require a separate configuration for each external or third-party data source.
Some process control systems require data from sources included in the enterprise of which the process control system is a part, but external to the process control system itself. Typically, but not necessarily, an enterprise data source may be outside of a firewall of the process control system. In one example, a given process control system may require enterprise data from another process control system owned or operated by the same parent company. In another example, the given process control system may need to access enterprise data stored on a server of a sub-contractor or other similar entity with which the owner or operator of the process control system has contracted to perform a task. Such enterprise data sources also must be configured into the process control system in a manner similar to external data sources, e.g., by using separate, stand-alone exercises. In some cases, an enterprise data source may also be an external data source.
With the multitude of workstations, controllers and external data sources associated with a process control plant, though, having separate configurations for each external and enterprise data source may quickly become cumbersome, costly and inconvenient. For example, the separate configurations may each require development and testing of supporting applications. The separate configuration applications may need to be maintained independently from the process control system and may introduce potential version compatibility issues. Moreover, the separate configurations for external and/or enterprise data sources may be stored in separate databases, thus requiring extra cost, time and resources for additional database administration and maintenance. Additionally, if new external or enterprise data is required by the process control system after configuration, adding the new external or enterprise data may result in potential disruption of existing data transfer.